NEARLY 200 workers sacked by phone conference call when a repair firm collapsed have been awarded thousands of pounds at an employment tribunal.

The 192 employees, who lost their jobs last September when social housing contractor Connaught went under, won the maximum protected award at a tribunal on May 25.

Connaught, which had a huge repairs contract with One Vision Housing for 12,000 former council houses in Sefton, went into administration after failing to secure funding for its £220m debts.

The award was made after many of the workers were told they were being dismissed by conference call, without any notice or consultation.

They will now each receive substantial payouts.

The top payout would see workers receive £3,200 – £80 a day for eight weeks – but each award is subject to deductions, depending on benefits or other pay received.

The workers involved had been employed by Connaught on an outsourced housing maintenance and repairs contract, on behalf of One Vision. But after Connaught’s collapse One Vision took the decision to bring its housing maintenance work back in-house.

Administrators decided to dismiss all Connaught staff, but many were re-employed by One Vision, the principal housing association in Sefton.

Construction union UCATT heralded the result of the tribunal as a significant victory for employees “dismissed in the most harrowing of circumstances”.

The Sefton employment tribunal is the first case to reach the courts after the collapse of Connaught.